Paraprofessional Counselors Research Articles

Effects of smokers' hotline: Results of a 10-county self-help trial.

The effect of a smokers' hotline as an adjunct to self-help manuals was examined. Subjects were 1,813 smokers recruited from a 10-county rural and small urban area. Counties were matched on demographic characteristics and assigned to a manual only or manual plus hotline condition. Subjects were followed over an 18-month period. Hotline services included taped messages and access to paraprofessional counselors. Results show a consistent, significant hotline effect across outcome measures and follow-up periods. This effect emerged either as a main effect for the hotline or as an interaction with enrollment method such that a significant hotline effect emerged for subjects who enrolled through face-to-face methods. These findings indicate the effectiveness of the hotline in enhancing self-help quit rates.

Primary Prevention in University Residence Halls: Paraprofessional‐Led Relationship Enhancement Groups for College Roommates

The author examined the effect of Relationship Enhancement training as a preventive intervention with college roommates. Trained paraprofessional counselors (resident assistants) led 20 Relationship Skills Workshops for students in their living units. The workshops (four 2‐hour sessions each) were based on the Relationship Enhancement method and involved training students in expressive (subjective self‐disclosure) and empathic (demonstrating understanding) skills. Students were randomly assigned to workshops either early (experimental group) or late (delayed treatment control group) in the semester. Assessments of students' expressive and empathic skills when discussing personal concerns and conflicts with their roommates were made on all participants at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Results show significantly higher level skills for the trained experimental group in comparison to the as‐yet untrained delayed‐treatment control group at the middle of the semester, and that significant improvement occurred in both groups following their respective participation in training, suggesting training was effective.

Balance and boundaries in grief counseling: an intervention framework for volunteer training.

Volunteers or paraprofessional counselors are commonly used to provide supportive care to the bereaved. These counselors generally are trained in basic listening skills, providing a generic, nonspecific approach to intervention that remains to be proven effective. The present paper outlines a framework that provides paraprofessionals with a broader model for intervention with the bereaved. Attention to boundaries as a helper and balance in the grief recovery are central to the model. Interventions are described that provide the paraprofessional counselor with more options for tailoring their counseling strategy to the individual. These include techniques that are presumed to be more specific to the enhancement of grief recovery.

Group supervision of paraprofessional counselors.

Group supervision of paraprofessional counselors.

Group supervision of paraprofessional counselors.

Group supervision of paraprofessional counselors.

Factorial structure of the suicide intervention response inventory.

Previous research has reported the development and validation of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory (SIRI), a self-report instrument assessing a counselor's ability to select an appropriate response to the life-threatening client. The present study examined whether the response skill measured by the instrument might be multidimensional, rather than unitary as previously assumed. Inventories completed by 457 paraprofessional counselors from five suicide and crisis intervention services throughout the United States were factor-analyzed to yield their simple structure. Results suggested that the instrument is indeed multifactorial, with four component factors identified as Elaboration of the Complaint, Exploration of Suicidality, Involvement, and Reflection of Negative Feelings. The implications of these findings for training in crisis counseling and for the further psychometric development of the instrument are noted.

Personal and mediated health counseling for sustained dietary reduction of hypercholesterolemia

Methods of effective cardiovascular risk reduction that are suitable for use in clinical settings are needed. Several behavioral interventions were designed to be compatible with office-based medical practice, to be delivered by paraprofessional counselors, and to be of low intensity and low cost. Eighty-three hypercholesterolemic volunteers were assigned to one of three experimental conditions (face-to-face counseling, mail and telephone counseling, initial session only). Twenty-six nonrandomized subjects served as a no-contact group and were followed for 1 year. Participants in the first three groups received risk factor education, behavioral recommendations, and a packet of materials, while those in the face-to-face and mail/telephone counseling groups were contacted for five brief follow-up sessions over a 4-month period. At the 1-year follow-up evaluation, subjects in the face-to-face and mail/telephone counseling conditions showed decreases in plasma cholesterol of 6.2 and 4.6%, respectively ( P < 0.01), while the other two groups evidenced small increases. There were no differences by condition for plasma triglycerides, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, or weight. Low-intensity, low-cost behavioral interventions delivered by paraprofessionals can produce long-term decreases in a major cardiovascular risk factor. Physicians are encouraged to incorporate similar interventions into their practices.

Edwards Personal Preference Schedule correlates of addiction counselor effectiveness.

Edwards Professional Preference Schedule scores of 21 male and 10 female paraprofessional chemical dependency counselors working at inpatient treatment centers were correlated with ratings and rankings of effectiveness by supervisors and peers. Counselors judged as more effective scored higher on Dominance and Heterosexuality and lower on Order. When compared to their respective normative samples, both male and female counselors scored higher on Intraception and Heterosexuality and lower on Order and Endurance. The findings suggest that characteristics suitable for other types of counseling activities are not necessarily optimal for alcoholic and addiction counselors.

Effects of meditation vs professional reading on students' perceptions of paraprofessional counselors' effectiveness.

Effects of meditation vs relevant professional reading on students' perceptions of paraprofessional counselors' effectiveness (as measured by the Session Evaluation Questionnaire) were examined in a two-group crossover design. Subjects were 10 undergraduate students in social work (the “counselors”) and 30 students in introductory psychology (the “clients”). “Counselors” either meditated regularly for 3 wk. or read transcripts of therapy sessions for 3 wk., then met with “clients” in unstructured interview sessions. Following the session, the meditators were switched to the reading condition and the readers switched to the meditation condition for another 3 wk. A manipulation check showed a positive effect of meditation on self-actualization of the social work students in the form of preventing a decline in self-actualization scores in the reading condition, a decline which occurred only in the group who read first without prior meditation. However, the positive effects of meditation on self-actualization scores were not reflected in evaluations by the student-“clients.”

Implementation and Evaluation of a Cancer Information Service

The Cancer Information Service, a telephone information and referral service, was implemented to provide cancer patients, their family members, community physicians, and health professionals access to current information about new methods of cancer detection, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The use of the service was evaluated over a thirty-six month period by an analysis of more than 20,000 inquiries. Initial findings suggest that the impact of diagnosis and treatment of cancer upon patients and their family members creates needs for information and support not met by patient-physician relationships. Results also suggest that telephone intervention by para-professional counselors can be effective with respect to providing information about cancer and its treatment, as well as limited psychosocial support and referral to available community resources.

Moral Development of Professional and Paraprofessional Counselors and Trainees

This article discusses a study that compared the moral development of professional and paraprofessional counselors and trainees; measuring the effects training programs had on their cognitive moral development. The results revealed that the professional group has a higher level of moral development, and counselor training has no effect on moral development.

The impact of paraprofessional alcoholism counselor training.

The present study evaluated the impact of a Navy alcoholism counselor training program. Forty-five trainees were tested before and after an intense 10-week training period at the Naval Alcohol Rehabilitation Center in San Diego. A pilot study enabled methodology refinement and selection of instruments most discriminating change over training. Based on pilot data, 12 measures were utilized: nine personality scales from a short form MMPI (Mini-Mult) and the Comrey Personality Scale, an alcoholism knowledge and attitude test, and a counseling skills effectiveness measure. Results indicate a significant positive change over training on several measures of alcoholism attitudes, knowledge. and counselor effectiveness. Significant differences were also noted on several personality scales indicating change toward the normal range. The findings suggest that the training appeared to have a significant positive impact on trainees. Some implications and limitations are discussed.

Competency Counselor Training for Paraprofessionals

The increasing use of paraprofessionals in the counseling profession acknowledges the many contributions such individuals provide in direct client service and in assistance to professional counselors. To educate competent paraprofessional counselors, however, their training programs must be adapted to their particular needs and circumstances. This article describes a current program that was designed specifically to prepare paraprofessional counselors.

Personality Measurements in Selection of Applicants for an Alcohol Counselor Training Program

Individual Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Personality Research Form scale scores of 7 accepted and 17 rejected applicants (in early 30's, with 13 yr. education, and IQs of about 112) to a 9-mo. in-service training program were compared by t tests. No significant differences between accepted and rejected applicants' individual MMPI scale scores were observed. On the personality form, accepted applicants scored significantly lower on Abasement and Autonomy and significantly higher on Aggression, Harm-avoidance, Defendence and Social Recognition. Accepted and rejected applicants to a para-professional chemical-dependency counselor training program did not differ significantly with respect to personality measurements designed to assess psychopathology (MMPI) but could be differentiated on personality scales designed to measure motivational variables.

A Comment on "Argument for the Use of Para-Professional Counselors in Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling"

A Comment on "Argument for the Use of Para-Professional Counselors in Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling"

A Response to L. V. Harvey's "A Comment on 'An Argument for the Use of Para-Professional Counselors in Premarital and Marital Counseling' "

A Response to L. V. Harvey's "A Comment on 'An Argument for the Use of Para-Professional Counselors in Premarital and Marital Counseling' "

Overview of counseling and information services for adult learners

Counseling and information services for adult learners exist in technologically developing and developed countries. Counseling services are performed by professional counselors, by adult education administrators and teachers, by practitioners in related agencies, and by paraprofessional counselor aides. Information services include mediated and interpersonal marketing and recruitment activities performed by administrators, teachers, and public information specialists. In developing countries, adult education programs and related counseling services tend to be concentrated on categories of adults whose personal development has high priority in national development plans. In developed countries, a wider range of adult education sponsors serves a higher proportion and a more representative cross section of the adult population.

Treatment of speech anxiety by cue-controlled relaxation and desensitization with professional and paraprofessional counselors.

Treatment of speech anxiety by cue-controlled relaxation and desensitization with professional and paraprofessional counselors.

Evaluation of training of alcoholism counselors.

During a 14-month training program for paraprofessional alcoholism counselors some counselors were markedly more successful than others in keeping patients in treatment and these differences persisted over time.

Training of Paraprofessionals—Some Caveats

This paper discusses some of the dynamics inherent in the training process involving ex-addict paraprofessional counselors. Some issues discussed are the threat to self-esteem implied in the training process for ex-addict counselors. These include mistrust of their intuitive feelings, minimizing their street knowledge, and a possible resistance against imagined professional control. The issue of why train, from both the administrative as well as counselors' view, is extensively discussed and the point is made that training is at the heart of function. Techniques found effective in the training of ex-addict counselors are discussed at length, and a few cautions are examined for increased sensitivity and effectiveness.